The GTA-inspired 2003 action game The Simpsons: Hit & Run is a fondly remembered licensed game based on the hit show, and fans have been calling for a remaster or re-release for years. The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman has once again spoken up to give fans some semblance of hope that a revival of sorts could happen.
Speaking to People, Selman said, “Never say never.”
He helped write the game, and admitted he had “no idea” it would become such an enduring success. He also recalled that the thinking at the time was that after people saw the success of 2001’s GTA III, there was a desire to make a “The Simpsons version” of the Rockstar Games title.
Selman also recalled that people in a meeting decades ago did not want the characters in what would become Hit & Run to be able to get in and out of their cars, but it was ultimately decided that they would. “That was a huge battle we had to fight of getting in and out of the cars. We luckily won that battle because it is fun to get in and out of the cars,” he said.
As for a possible new version of Hit & Run, Selman said “nothing is set in stone, but “never say never.”
“We know people love it. We know they want it, so that’s good. If we know people want it, never say never,” he said.
This is not the first time that the subject of a new Hit & Run game has come up. In 2021, Selman told IGN that he would “love” to see a remaster of the game, but said such a project might be a challenge due to the “complicated corporate octopus.”
The original main cast of The Simpsons came back to voice their characters for Hit & Run, and it probably wouldn’t be cheap have their voices either re-recorded or re-licensed for a potential remake/remaster project. And that’s just one of the considerations, as The Simpsons has different stakeholders and beneficiaries who would presumably need to sign off in some way. Another issue at play could be how Disney bought many of Fox’s entertainment assets, including The Simpsons, since Hit & Run was released.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run was developed by Radical Entertainment, a studio that closed in 2012. One of the studio’s founders, Ian Wilkinson, started a new company, New Radical Games, which offers services like work-for-hire and co-development for mobile an console projects. The studio’s website also states that it does porting and remastering.
New Radical Games was in the news recently after people discovered that New Radical Games launched a website, prompting fans to theorize that that a new version of The Simpsons: Hit & Run might be on the way. However, the site was actually re-launched in April 2025.
The Simpsons: Hit & Run was originally released for PS2, GameCube, and Xbox, with a PC port following.
As for the TV series, The Simpsons aired its 800th episode on February 15. The show is not ending soon, as it’s been renewed through Season 40, meaning it’ll be on TV through at least the 2028-2029 season.
